Project “Polar Bear”: 1989 V2500 Suburban

[chilliwak]

Larry, what can I say? Once again you have proved how gifted a mechanic you are. The final result of your transmission swap looks absolutly awesome!:Wow1: Now you have a wicked `Burb´that also has the manual trans you want. I was just wondering, when are you going to open up a car showroom? You could charge admision and serve cold ones out back and there would be a line-up down the block. I would be the first to book a flight and be at your front door wanting to get a look. Cheers, Chilli....

 

[Chevrolado]

Oh man.. what a swap. It looks perfect there. Always impressed by your handy work. Very nice job Larry. Good to see the burb is getting better and better.

 

[Funrover]

As always, great stuff!

 

[Bushcoat]

Looking great Larry! Was a t case adapter needed or does it bolt up?

 

[ben2go]

Sweet build.I rocked a two tone light blue and almost silver on top silver with light blue interior 2500 and also a black with read interior 1500.Loved them both.They both had the 350tbi/TH400 with 4x4.I'd like to have another one with the new LS based 6.0 from the 3500 trucks and a manny.

 

[Larry]

Looking great Larry! Was a t case adapter needed or does it bolt up?

No adapter needed when reusing a 32 spline NP241 from either a TH400 or SM465 4-speed manual. In the case of this Burb, I just reused the original 241 that was behind the original 465.

 

[LIVEanimals]

So Larry what does the Polar Bear get for mpgs now? Are you running 4.10s? I'm getting really fed up with single digit numbers outta my 90 V2500.

 

[Larry]

Yes, sir… 4:10 gears and 315 tires. Not exactly sure on the MPG as I have not corrected the speedo from the gear and tire size change yet so getting an accurate MPG reading isn’t possible. I will say this though, the overdrive transmission did make a noticeable difference in how much further you can go on a tank of fuel now. The OD trans also brought to light how weak the TBI 5.7L is too. That poor little thing couldn't pull a greasy string out of a Coke bottle. Going to have to bolt in more power soon.

Speaking of fuel, it cost $125 to fill it up the other day. The good news is that will last a month or so given how much I drive. Something to be said for working from a home office :sombrero:

 

[ben2go]

I use GPS to more accurately calculate my MPG.My speedo is off by 7mph in my truck above 60mph it could be as much off as 11mph above 75mph.

 

[COCHEV]

Yes, sir… 4:10 gears and 315 tires. Not exactly sure on the MPG as I have not corrected the speedo from the gear and tire size change yet so getting an accurate MPG reading isn’t possible. I will say this though, the overdrive transmission did make a noticeable difference in how much further you can go on a tank of fuel now. The OD trans also brought to light how weak the TBI 5.7L is too. That poor little thing couldn't pull a greasy string out of a Coke bottle. Going to have to bolt in more power soon.

Speaking of fuel, it cost $125 to fill it up the other day. The good news is that will last a month or so given how much I drive. Something to be said for working from a home office :sombrero:

Are you doing another 8.1 swap? So far my small block 4sp burb does no better on gas than any of my big blocks have. Might as well have the power on tap

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Larry]

Are you doing another 8.1 swap? So far my small block 4sp burb does no better on gas than any of my big blocks have. Might as well have the power on tap

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Exactly, these little engines get worked so hard they end up consuming more fuel than a bigger more powerful engine. Yes, this one will be getting an 8.1L as well. I’ve been busy collecting the installation parts and hope to have it in by the end of the summer. I still have to open the two 8.1L’s that I have to see which one will be the easiest to fix. One is a severe overheat and the other has a broken oil pump drive. The oil pump drive should be the quick fixer. Both have less than 5,000 miles on them.

 

[Kaisen]

My 8.1L Sub has 247K miles.....drivetrain all original, and still gets 15-16 mpg freeway if I'm careful, and around 11mpg in city driving. That's not too far off what 5.3 and 6.0 Subs do. Uses oil, but that's not a big deal (to me).

 

[Larry]

My 8.1L Sub has 247K miles.....drivetrain all original, and still gets 15-16 mpg freeway if I'm careful, and around 11mpg in city driving. That's not too far off what 5.3 and 6.0 Subs do. Uses oil, but that's not a big deal (to me).

I agree, I had a 2005 Silverado HD with a 6.0L for a while and the fuel economy was not much different from my other Silvy with the L18 8.1L. Add a car trailer behind the 6.0L and it would actually consume more fuel than the big block.

Yep, some L18 8.1L’s like their oil. My 2001 Silverado HD has used a quart every 1,200 to 1,500 miles since I bought it new but I have not performed any of the GM bulletins to address its oil habit. On the other hand, the 2003 L18 in the 1978 K10 does not consume any oil between 3,000 mile oil changes. Prior to installing the L18 into the K10 I performed the GM service bulletins to address oil consumption by replacing the intake manifold bolts to larger shank bolts to prevent oil vapor from being pulled into combustion chamber through the intake manifold as well as installed the newer design 89017539 intake gaskets. The bolts and gaskets must work, like I mentioned above….it doesn’t use any oil.

Your ’05 L18 would already have the new design intake bolts but may not have been built with the 89017539 gaskets. If you ever have the intake off definitely replace the intake gaskets. This new part number supersedes all older intake gasket part numbers. There are inexpensive too, like $40 for the set. The intake gaskets are easy to replace as there is no coolant passing through the intake and many times you can lift the intake up enough to replace the gaskets without needing to disconnect the fuel lines. Actually yours only has one fuel line as they went returnless in 2004.

 

[huntsonora]

I'm just curious if I'm the only go and goes through this build thread front to back about every 3-4 weeks just because of how ************ it is?

I LOVE those surburbans and this one is just freaking awesome!

Larry, I come through Pueblo from time to time on my way to my ranches in Mexico and would love to take you to lunch one day if for no other reason that to see this burb!

 

[BBslider001]

Exactly, these little engines get worked so hard they end up consuming more fuel than a bigger more powerful engine. Yes, this one will be getting an 8.1L as well. I've been busy collecting the installation parts and hope to have it in by the end of the summer. I still have to open the two 8.1L's that I have to see which one will be the easiest to fix. One is a severe overheat and the other has a broken oil pump drive. The oil pump drive should be the quick fixer. Both have less than 5,000 miles on them.

Wow, how did a new 8.1L get overheated at 5k miles? Just curious...